Short-line railroads may not have the heavy schedules of the larger carriers, but most have enough business to be kept quite busy. A casual examination of the types of businesses serviced by the Maryland Midland Railway for example reveals the following types of customers:

Animal & Poultry Feed Distributor

Manufacturer

Floor Covering Manufacturer

Lumber & Building Materials

Distributor

Food Distributor

Fertilizer/Grain Distributor

Aggregate Producer

Cement Manufacturer

Lightweight Aggregate Producer

Relief Agency/Used Clothing

Printing Company

Home Builder

Lumber & Building Material

It is also possible for short-line railroads to own their own facilities such as the bulk-transfer facility owned and operated by the The Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad. These facilities help extend the short-line railroads services to off-track customers. In the same vein, many also still have team tracks to serve the same purpose. For the model railroader with limited space, these types of facilities offer opportunities to run a wider variety of cars.